Anderson County: Authorities take neglected dogs

PALESTINE — It was a scene Anderson County Sheriff Gregg Taylor could only describe as disgusting.

“There were feces and urine everywhere in the house, and the dogs had chewed holes through the walls of the home to get out,” he said of a case his agency and area animal groups are working on. “There were skeletal remains of dogs both in and outside of the home.”

Taylor said a warrant was issued for the arrest of the homeowner for felony animal cruelty. The arrest was pending Thursday.

Taylor said his office received a call last week to a person on County Road 415, north of Palestine, who was not taking care of his dogs.

Taylor said deputies decided they needed a warrant when they saw the home’s condition and number of dogs involved.

Taylor said Anderson County animal control officer Colten Covington, along with city of Palestine animal control officer Terry Garner, BARC The Humane Society workers and sheriff’s office investigators, entered the home earlier this week.

“It’s sad to see animals living in those conditions. It was deplorable, and the dogs had eaten their way through the walls and front door,” he said. “There is no fixing that home, because everything is soaked with urine and covered in feces.”